


as long as we’re together, does it matter where we go?

by suzukiblu



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Bonding, Cultural Differences, Fantasy Racism, Food, Friends to Lovers, Homecoming, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Xenophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:47:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22379701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suzukiblu/pseuds/suzukiblu
Summary: Marius doesn’t know what to do, so Tehd takes him home to Undercity. It makes sense at the time: Marius is a demon hunter without any demons to hunt, and Tehd doesn’t exactly have anything pressing to do either, and people do occasionally gohome. That’s a perfectly normal thing for people to do.Apparently not for Marius, but Tehd manages it anyway.
Relationships: Marius Felbane/Tehd Shoemaker
Comments: 8
Kudos: 78





	as long as we’re together, does it matter where we go?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [beckyh2112](https://archiveofourown.org/users/beckyh2112/gifts).



> Written for beckyh2112, with thanks to slackeremeritus for beta/fact-check services. I have played WoW exactly once and know exactly what information it took to write this fic and nothing more, so any errors/inconsistencies are very definitely my own.

Marius doesn’t know what to do, so Tehd takes him home to Undercity. It makes sense at the time: Marius is a demon hunter without any demons to hunt, and Tehd doesn’t exactly have anything pressing to do either, and people do occasionally go _home_. That’s a perfectly normal thing for people to do. 

Apparently not for Marius, but Tehd manages it anyway. Admittedly, it takes some finagling. Mostly the finagling involves keeping Marius distracted until they’re basically there, though. 

“This is Undercity,” Marius says. He can’t actually _see_ that, of course, but also it’s not subtle. 

“Yes, and?” Tehd says. 

“Why are we here, warlock?” Marius says. 

“Why would we be anywhere else?” Tehd says. “You were moping. And I have things to do.” 

“What things?” Marius says. 

“Oh, the usual. Spring cleaning, paying my taxes, making sure the house hasn’t burned down,” Tehd rattles off. Distracting demon hunters from moping, though he doesn’t say that part out loud. 

“You have a house,” Marius says, sounding skeptical. 

“People _live_ places, Marius,” Tehd says. “Well. For a given value of ‘live’, of course.” 

It _is_ Undercity, obviously. 

Marius stands out a bit in the crowd of the city, largely because said crowd is avoiding him and so there’s a convenient pocket of free space surrounding him that Tehd is perfectly willing to take advantage of. Marius is a massive night elf in a mask with enormous weapons and a pulse; of _course_ there’s a space for him in the crowd. Tehd is less massive, obviously dead, and also not the one Haterunner is following around like an obedient little lamb, so there's a bit less room for him. 

Still, standing close enough to Marius takes care of that problem, and it's not as if he minds standing close to Marius. They spent half the trip here on the back of the same felsaber, it's not like they're not used to being in each other's personal space. 

Also, Tehd _likes_ being in Marius's personal space. Marius probably has not noticed this, being Marius, but Tehd is perfectly aware of his own preferences. 

They're not subtle, really. They stick out just as much as Marius does, and all that that implies. 

"This is a very unusual place," Marius says slowly, turning his head as if he's looking around, which presumably means he's being paranoid and checking for demons, even though that's really not a concern at the moment. He certainly isn't admiring the architecture, though. 

"So we've all been told," Tehd says. He doesn’t mention the fact that a great deal of people are staring at and/or eyeballing the other. Marius probably can't tell, so why point it out? He does make nasty faces at a few of the gawkers, but Marius won't notice that either so it doesn't much matter; he really only does it for himself. "Come on, it's this way." 

"Your house?" Marius asks doubtfully. 

"Yes, actually, but first we're going to City Hall," Tehd says. "The taxes thing. I may be slightly behind, depending on what month it is. And it's on the way anyway, so we might as well handle it now." 

"Taxes," Marius mutters disbelievingly, as a man who has probably never paid taxes in his life, or at least not in the past century. 

"Well, something's got to keep the place running," Tehd says with a shrug. He lumbers off, and Marius and Haterunner follow him. More specifically, Marius follows him and Haterunner follows Marius, but same result. 

Marius draws a lot of attention as they walk. Seven foot six of demon hunter will do that, of course. Tehd's used to being interesting, but he's less interesting in Undercity and _much_ less interesting standing next to _Marius_ in Undercity, and who knows if Marius is even aware of any of the stares he's collecting. Tehd's never been _exactly_ clear on just how much the man can see. Enough not to walk into any inconvenient walls or trip particularly often, but not enough to know what color a thing is or read a book or be able to describe what a person looked like in a way that makes sense to anyone who's not another demon hunter. 

He supposes the trade-off is supposed to be worth it, and Marius clearly thought it was, but Tehd would miss colors, personally. Especially purple. Purple is a good color. 

Everyone's got something they'll trade that another person couldn't imagine losing, though. 

They arrive at City Hall and exit the crowded street to head inside. Marius receives no fewer stares indoors. Tehd ignores the interest, as a man with unfortunate paperwork to do. It's certainly more important than counting how many people are staring at Marius (it's a lot, and he has in fact already lost count). 

Really, you'd think no one had ever brought a demon hunter around. 

. . . actually, that might be a possibility. Hm. 

Still, there are stranger things in Undercity than Marius, and certainly more immediate concerns than other people's reactions to him, so Tehd ignores the unsubtle attentions of his fellow citizens and finds someone to take his money. He has things to do. He wasn't kidding about the spring cleaning, for starters. It's been a while since he's been home, running with Marius, and no doubt the place needs dusting at the very least. 

"Are you lost?" the clerk says, staring warily at Marius. Tehd leans dubiously into her line of sight. 

"Do I look lost?" he says. 

"Er, no, but . . ." 

"Don't mind him, he's harmless," Tehd lies. "Now, I owe you money. Not you specifically, obviously, but I'm assuming you know how to get it where it needs to go." 

"Sir, he's a _night elf_ ," the clerk hisses nervously, cupping a hand by her mouth as if that's actually going to keep Marius from hearing her. Marius tilts his head, seeming puzzled by her concern, which is fair because Marius has exactly nothing to do with the Alliance. Tehd is . . . less gracious, perhaps. 

"Is he?" he says, smiling sharply at the clerk. "Fascinating. Marius, did you know you're a night elf?" 

"It has come up once or twice," Marius says dryly. 

"Fascinating!" Tehd says. "Now, about that money I owe you . . ." 

They get out of City Hall notably poorer but without further unnecessary delay, and Tehd leads the way down the street, Marius at his side. It's . . . pleasant, he thinks. Yes. It's pleasant. He likes being with Marius in general, obviously, but there's a delightful novelty in just walking around the city together instead of chasing down their latest near-death experience at high speed and he's definitely enjoying it. He hopes Marius is too, which is a somewhat foolish thing to be thinking but one he's thinking all the same. 

Marius is probably not thinking the same kind of thing about him, unfortunately, but ah well, such is life. And death. And . . . undeath? Unlife. Well—

"Tehd," Marius says, and Tehd forgets what he was thinking about. "Was this really such a good idea?" 

"I thought it was a brilliant one, personally," Tehd says. "It's about time we slept in proper beds for a few nights. Too much camping and I start feeling like something's going to start decomposing me." 

"Do you?" Marius says, tilting his head. Tehd resists the urge to flick his mask out of the way. Marius probably isn't even that expressive. Also, he clearly wears the thing for a reason, and that reason is probably not fashion. 

"Not literally, but it _feels_ like I am, which is arguably worse," Tehd says. "Trust me, you don't want to feel like you're decomposing." 

"I imagine not," Marius says as Haterunner comes up beside him. He rests a hand on its back and scratches distractedly. Tehd experiences a moment of being very jealous of a felsaber, as a wholly rational and reasonable man. Very rational. Very reasonable. 

Not very rational _or_ reasonable. 

“I just do not want to trouble you,” Marius says, and Tehd breaks out of a slightly stranger than he might want to admit to in public fantasy and squints up at him. 

“Are you sure you’re Marius?” he says. “Trouble is what we _do_.” 

“Fighting demons is a bit different from upsetting your neighbors,” Marius says. 

“I hate my neighbors,” Tehd informs him. “They’re obnoxiously loud and they’ve never once let me borrow a cup of sugar.” 

“. . . why would you need a cup of sugar?” 

“That’s hardly the relevant part!” 

They arrive at the house, and they leave Haterunner out back and Tehd opens the door for Marius. He has to warn Marius to duck a bit to get through the doorway because he did not pick this house expecting to bring back a night elf at any point in his life, much less a night elf built like Marius, whose shoulders alone are an _experience_. He is not a small man by any means. The ceilings themselves are respectably high, at least, so that’s something. 

“It’s . . . quaint,” Marius says. Tehd leads him to the kitchen and immediately checks to see if anything in his pantry is still edible. The answer is no, unless they want to eat raw flour or very old potatoes. He didn’t expect to be gone _quite_ this long. Also, it’s not like he’s ever kept around much food anyway; it’s more a novelty than a necessity these days. 

Well, not for Marius, obviously. 

“I should have stopped for groceries,” Tehd muses, wondering how much of the place Marius is actually seeing. Enough not to walk into any walls, at least. “‘Quaint’, mm? You know I don’t expect you to compliment the decor. Seems a bit silly, doesn’t it?” 

“I suppose,” Marius says. “It seemed polite.” 

“Hah!” Tehd laughs. “ _Polite_? An hour in the city and you’re fussed about your manners? I should’ve brought you home weeks ago!” 

“Weeks ago we were still fighting the Burning Legion,” Marius reminds him dryly. 

“And you weren’t being very polite to me about it!” 

“It did not seem necessary,” Marius says. Tehd snorts. 

“But it is in Undercity?” he says. “Relax, Marius. If anyone has a problem with you being here, they can damn well keep it to themselves.” 

“And if they do not?” 

“Then I suppose we’ll just have to make them sorry for bringing it up,” Tehd replies casually, picking up one of his very old potatoes and inspecting it. No, really no hope for that. They’re definitely going to need to get groceries. “Hmmm. What are your feelings on kebabs, Marius?” 

“. . . they are food,” Marius says blankly, not seeming to get the point. 

“Yes, but are they food you’re willing to _eat_ , because the shop on the corner makes delicious ones but we’ve got other options,” Tehd says. “I’m just assuming you’re hungry, honestly, but since the only food we have on us is flour and your rations . . . oh, and I suppose Haterunner will need something too, won’t he.” 

“That might be important, yes,” Marius says dryly. 

“So yes, grocery run,” Tehd says, tossing the dusty potato back in the bin. He’ll worry about getting rid of those later. “Or kebabs. Kebabs, then groceries?” 

“Up to you,” Marius says, which is too much power to give Tehd and which Tehd is absolutely going to take advantage of being given. 

“Kebabs it is,” he says. “I could murder a good kebab.” 

“. . . what _kind_ of kebabs, exactly?” 

“The delicious kind,” Tehd says, then grabs his shopping basket and leads him back outside. “Watch your head.” 

They go to the shop and get kebabs, which are in fact delicious, and then they go to the market and get some actual supplies, because Tehd is planning on keeping Marius here for a while and therefore he is going to need “a while”’s worth of food for him and Haterunner. Marius is carrying Haterunner’s feed and the shopping basket while Tehd goes through the vegetables with a critical eye, which is probably what causes the misunderstanding. 

“You can’t be serious, Shoemaker,” a voice says. 

“Sorry?” Tehd says distractedly, and looks up to find, to his annoyance, one of his more obnoxious neighbors. She’s staring at Marius and looks disgusted. She usually looks disgusted, so Tehd assumes that’s just her natural expression coming through, as ever. “Oh. Never mind, not sorry. What the hell are you talking about?” 

“Is this really the best use of a warlock’s abilities?” she says, still eyeing Marius. Tehd has no idea what she’s talking about. 

“Grocery shopping?” he says doubtfully. “No, not particularly. But a man’s got to eat. Or, well, a man’s guests have to eat, in this case.” 

“Not _grocery_ shopping, for the Dark Lady’s sake,” she says, looking exasperated, then points very unsubtly at Marius. She prods him in the (very nicely sculpted) arm with her finger, in fact, which bemuses Tehd so much he doesn’t even react to it. Marius seems to feel similarly. “Why would you bind a demon _hunter_?” 

“Ah, I see,” Tehd says as clarity clicks into place, along with a rather unpleasant feeling that makes him want to throw the onion he’s holding at her face. “I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood the situation. There is absolutely nothing stopping him from cutting you in half right now.” 

“What?!” she demands in shrill horror, dropping her own basket and immediately recoiling. 

“I thought that was fairly clear, myself,” Tehd says. “This way, Marius, let’s go find the fruit. Can’t have you getting scurvy on me.” 

They leave his obnoxious neighbor sputtering to herself and find the fruit. Tehd really doesn’t want his demon hunter getting scurvy; he’s heard _nothing_ good about scurvy. 

“You could just let people think I am bound to you,” Marius says. “I imagine it would be easier.” 

“You’re an idiot,” Tehd says. 

“What does it matter, if it is not true?” Marius asks. 

“It matters,” Tehd says firmly, thumping an innocent melon slightly harder than necessary to check its ripeness. “There’s plenty of perfectly good reasons for you to be here, and being contractually obligated to it is hardly the first place anyone should jump. Especially because I _know_ she wasn’t thinking about a standard contract.” 

“What other kind would she be thinking of?” Marius asks with obvious confusion, like he’s not muscular and beautiful and half-dressed at best. Tehd just _looks_ at him. Probably Marius cannot actually read his expression, though. 

“Not a good kind,” he says finally, setting the melon in the shopping basket. “I don’t care about it being easy. Alright?” 

“Alright,” Marius says. Tehd takes over carrying the shopping basket. It really doesn’t matter if people assume Marius is bound to him, he supposes, but it matters to _him_. Certainly it should matter to Marius. Just because it’d be easier is no reason to let people believe it. 

He’s not interested in lying about Marius, anyway. Marius is his friend, and damn anyone who’s got a problem with that. His somewhat antagonistic and difficult and ridiculous friend, but his friend all the same. 

They pass one of the canals. Marius averts his face. 

"Blight?" Tehd assumes. 

"Blight," Marius confirms. Tehd supposes that wouldn't be the _prettiest_ thing to spectral sight. Or . . . whatever Marius is looking at it with, anyway. 

"Well, fortunately we don't need to linger," he says. "Rice and a few roaches and we're done!" 

". . . roaches," Marius says, cocking his head. 

"You haven't eaten Undercity food until you've had cockroach stew," Tehd tells him. "It's delicious." 

"You never did tell me what was in those kebabs," Marius says. 

"Deliciousness," Tehd says. "Honestly though I've never asked. You don't question deliciousness, you just eat it." 

"It was definitely better than rations," Marius says, inclining his head. 

"I know!" Tehd says delightedly, because that means he introduced Marius to something he _liked_ and that is a victory, any time. Not that Marius doesn't like things; he just likes his job more. 

No surprise he's been a bit at loose ends without it. 

"How do you not have rice at home, warlock?" Marius says. 

"It's less a staple of the cuisine around here," Tehd says. He knows Marius will eat rice like it's going out of style, though, so they definitely need some around. Again: he's got a demon hunter to feed here, he's not going to slack _off_ about it. 

"Shame," Marius says, and then they go buy rice and roaches enough to feed _any_ demon hunter and head home to get the stew going. Tehd isn't an especially practiced cook, at least not these days, but the basics are the basics and Undercity food is always especially tasty. They eat for pleasure, not necessity, so of course it is. 

He tried those rations a few times. He felt _very_ bad for Marius having to eat them all the time. Since he's feeding him now, he's going to make sure he's feeding him well. 

He makes a lot of stew, put it that way. Marius eats two very large portions for dinner, and Tehd feels smugly pleased. He hadn’t really thought about feeding Marius until they’d gotten here, but there’s something oddly satisfying in the process. He bought groceries, he cooked, he made Marius sit down at the table and eat, and he watched him put away the better part of the pot and felt . . . _pleased_ , as he said. Very pleased. 

Well, if he’d known he’d like that so much, he’d have cooked occasionally on the road. 

Tehd changes the sheets and they go to bed. Tehd doesn’t technically need to sleep, but Marius does, and anyway it’s relaxing to just lay around and not think for a while. Can’t be “on” all the time, it’ll wear a body out. Well, not the _body_ so much, but all the same. Besides, who doesn’t love a nice squishy mattress to pretend to sleep on? 

At least he has a guest room, and the bed in it _might_ be big enough. He’s not sure what he’d do with Marius otherwise. 

Marius, it turns out, makes it all of two hours with the guest room before he’s knocking on Tehd’s door. Tehd is so bemused he just lets him in. 

“Something wrong with the bed?” he asks. “I suppose it is a bit on the small side.” 

“Soft,” Marius says. Tehd frowns. 

“Soft?” he repeats, baffled. 

“It is too soft,” Marius says. “I cannot sleep.” 

“That is . . . not a problem that I had considered,” Tehd says, frown deepening. “Hm.” 

He steps back from the doorway and Marius steps farther into the room. Tehd notices, absentmindedly, and then has to beat down a whole slew of thoughts about sharing _his_ bed. For one thing, it wouldn’t even fit them both; for another, it’s probably even softer than the one in the guest room. Basically, it wouldn’t even _begin_ to solve the problem. 

Well, maybe if he wore Marius out enough . . . 

Tehd clears his throat and banishes those thoughts _very firmly_ , then tips his head back to look up at the other. Marius doesn’t look back at him, obviously, because Marius _can’t_ look back at him, but he tilts his head like he’s listening. 

“Nothing smells right,” Marius says. 

“I could probably have aired the place out a bit more,” Tehd allows. He could definitely have aired the place out more. And dusted more. And several other things, probably, but he’d been far more interested in watching Marius eat, because he is a very predictable man. 

“Not like that,” Marius says, shaking his head. “Nothing in this city smells right.” 

“Oh.” Tehd frowns again. “Well, that’s a bit more of an issue.” 

“It is not bad,” Marius says. “Just not right.” 

“Hm,” Tehd says. “Maybe if we put your bedroll out on top of the bed? Do you think that would help?” 

“No,” Marius says. He catches Tehd’s elbow and steps in closer. Tehd _notices_. 

Well, he doesn’t really have room to talk about personal space after today in the street, he figures. But he is very, very aware of Marius’s body and how close it is to his all the same. 

“Does anything smell right?” he says. He doesn’t move his arm, mostly out of concern Marius might consider that a reason to let go of it. 

“One thing,” Marius says. Tehd absolutely _obliterates_ the hopeful thought that he’ll say—“You.”

Tehd needs to go lie down, he thinks. He’s clearly hallucinating. 

“Me?” he checks. “ _Dead_ me?” 

“I am . . . used to you,” Marius says. Tehd feels like the man just pulled out a bouquet and went down on one knee, which is a very irrational thing to be feeling and _yet_ . . . “May I sleep in here?” 

“Oh, absolutely,” Tehd says before his better sense can catch up, because Lady forbid it _stop_ him. “You can have the bed, I’ll just—” 

“No,” Marius interrupts. “That will be too soft. The floor is fine.” 

“You’re really determined to make it very hard for me to convince people I haven’t bound you, aren’t you,” Tehd says. 

“I do not care what people think,” Marius says. Tehd’s undead heart might, well . . . flutter. Just a bit. 

“Oh?” he says. 

“Other people’s opinions are unimportant,” Marius says, which probably does _not_ mean “only _your_ opinion is important”, but is definitely what Tehd hears. He is a terrible, terrible fool of a man. “I will get my bedroll.” 

“Probably more comfortable, yes,” Tehd says. Not that the floor’s going to be particularly comfortable either way, but if Marius insists . . . 

Marius lets go of his arm. Tehd feels a genuine sense of loss, which is ridiculous and silly and also very stupid. Marius is _right there_. Not touching him anymore, unfortunately, but right there. 

Except for how he’s leaving to go get his bedroll, obviously, but he’ll be back shortly. Tehd hurries around the room to hide the little bits of mess he hadn’t bothered cleaning up before laying down, and Marius comes back with his very attractive arms full of bedroll just in time to catch him shooing dust bunnies under the wardrobe. Marius doesn’t seem to notice, but Tehd still straightens up quickly and nearly bangs his head on the thing. 

“There you are,” he says. “Just—anywhere works, really, wherever you like.” 

He _stomps_ on the hopeful thought that Marius will decide to lay his bedroll next to his bed, because that would actually be more an inconvenience than anything else and Marius is a—mostly—practical man. Obviously he’d pick a more defensible place, not—

Marius lays his bedroll next to Tehd’s bed. Tehd nearly falls over. 

Oh, that’s not _fair_. 

“Acceptable?” Marius asks. 

“Acceptable,” Tehd manages, and then has to spend the rest of the night with a night elf demon hunter on his bedroom floor, but specifically with _Marius_ on his bedroom floor, which is . . . a lot, definitely, and about the only thing he can think about. Usually when he lays down in bed he treats it as a little meditative exercise to get some peace and plot new contracts, but tonight . . . 

No, definitely not tonight. 

Marius sleeps peacefully, and Tehd spends the night staring at the ceiling, waiting for him to wake up. It’s . . . a night. A nice, peaceful night that he spends frantically aware of every little sigh and shift from Marius, and even more frantically aware of just how easily he could roll off the bed and land on top of him and, well, just let things progress from there. 

Things would not progress the way his lying bastard of a brain wants him to think they could, unfortunately. Marius still calls him “warlock” more often than he says his name, for one thing. 

It’s very hard not to think about it, all the same. 

In the morning, Tehd wakes up to knocking, if by “wakes up” one means “is jarred out of his latest inappropriate fantasy”, and nearly _does_ roll off the bed and land on top of Marius before he remembers the other man is there. He rolls off the bed _very carefully_ , instead, and heads downstairs. Marius groans, still half-asleep, and Tehd hushes him. 

“Go back to sleep, I won’t be a moment,” he says. Not that Marius actually cares if he’s there or not, particularly, but . . . 

Tehd goes downstairs and opens the door. A very peeved-looking stranger is standing on the other side of it along with several guards. Tehd stares blankly at them. He’s been home for a _night_ , he hasn’t had time to do anything that’d upset the guards yet. Probably. 

“Tehd Shoemaker,” the stranger says frostily. 

“Who wants to know?” Tehd asks, flicking his eyes around the group and regretting, a bit, that he didn’t wait for Marius to come down with him. 

“We have been informed that you are harboring a member of the Alliance,” the stranger says in that same frosty tone, at which point Tehd realizes he’s probably some sort of official and therefore he probably can’t kick him off the step without causing a fuss. 

“Marius is Illidari, actually,” he says. “Has been since before the night elves even _joined_ the Alliance.” 

“You expect us to believe that?” the stranger says. 

“Well, I could ask him to show you whatever’s left of his eyes, but that seems like a rude request, don’t you think?” Tehd replies dubiously. The official—who knows what his actual _job_ is—scowls at him. Tehd scowls back, on principle. 

Marius comes downstairs, half-dressed and fully gorgeous, and the official points accusingly at him. Tehd scowls a _lot_ more darkly. 

“You!” the official says. “Alliance!” 

“. . . no?” Marius says, tilting his head in bemusement. “I am Illidari.” 

“Told you,” Tehd says. 

“You cannot bring a night elf into Undercity,” the official snaps. 

“He’s his own man, in fact, he goes where he likes,” Tehd says. “Also, I clearly already did, so _that’s_ patently false.” 

The official does _not_ look pleased. 

“He’s not Alliance,” Tehd repeats. “He has less to do with them than _you_ probably do, in fact.” 

The official glares at him. Tehd glares back. Marius is probably oblivious to both their expressions, but clearly not to the tension. 

“I can prove it,” he says. 

“You don’t have to prove _anything_ ,” Tehd says fiercely, and then nearly gets knocked over by the other’s wings as they spread out and take up the entire downstairs. Marius lifts his mask just to make the point, and Tehd, as a _polite_ person, doesn’t look at his face. 

“Ah,” the official says. 

“Happy?” Tehd asks sourly. 

“He is still a night elf,” the official says. 

“It’s my house,” Tehd says. “Can I not have people in my own house? Is that your _official_ position?” 

The official glares at him. He glares back, then shuts the door in the man’s face. 

“I did not want to make trouble,” Marius says as he lets his mask fall back into place, nearly reproving. Tehd huffs, folding his arms and leaning back against the door. The official doesn’t knock again, so he figures he doesn’t have a comeback. 

“If they want to make trouble, well, we know how to handle trouble,” he says. 

“Do we?” Marius tilts his head. 

“You and I?” Tehd says airily, waving him off. “We’re damned _masters_ of it.” 

Marius makes a noise. It takes Tehd a moment to recognize it as a chuckle, but that’s definitely what it is. He feels, again, that certain rush he gets whenever he does something that Marius likes. It’s a very foolish thing, but he can’t deny it’s there. It’s as obvious as Marius standing in a crowd of the dead. 

“If you say so, warlock,” Marius says, low and . . . pleasant, almost? _Affectionate_ , almost. Tehd’s never heard him say “warlock” quite like that, anyway. 

He stomps on the part of him that wants to chase after that scrap of affection like a dog with a bone, and settles for putting on a smirk and folding his arms again. 

“I do,” he says. Marius steps in closer, and Tehd makes room for him. He cranes his neck to look up at the other and doesn’t think anything inappropriate about just how close they are, although given just how close they are it actually seems like “inappropriate” thoughts would be _very_ appropriate right now. 

Marius would be awfully easy to kiss right now, if he weren’t quite so damned tall. 

Tehd’s just noticing that, that’s all. Can’t blame a man for noticing things. Who doesn’t _notice_ things? 

“Are you certain it is alright? I can still leave,” Marius says, which is ridiculous because how could _Marius_ possibly need reassured about his welcome with Tehd. 

“Of course,” Tehd says firmly. “Getting into trouble with you is my favorite pastime, don’t you know?” 

“I have gotten that impression, at the least,” Marius says, and Tehd snorts. 

“Don’t make me _actually_ con you into a contract,” he says. “I’ve gone to quite enough trouble keeping you around as it is, thank you very much.” 

“I suppose I have made more reckless promises in my life,” Marius says, almost musingly. Tehd’s undead heart skips . . . _several_ beats, to put it lightly. 

“Well, let’s not get carried away,” he says, tone as casual as he can make it. “Now—what do you want for breakfast? Cockroach stew’s always best the second day, of course, but there’s other options.” 

“Up to you,” Marius says, which is too much power to give Tehd and which Tehd is _absolutely_ going to take advantage of being given. 

“Alright then,” he says. “I’ll make something, how about that?” 

Marius nods agreeably, and Tehd already feels that sense of odd satisfaction all over again, before he’s so much as picked up a single pot or pan or really done anything to earn it. 

It’s Marius’s fault, obviously, but Tehd’s just fine with that.

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr!](http://suzukiblu.tumblr.com/)


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